Contacts

	Kevin Carney – Executive Director of Beyond Textbooks Email: carneyke@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3961
	Kevin Carney is in his 18th year as an educator. Prior to his current role as the Executive Director of Beyond Textbooks, Kevin was a middle school principal for nine years, serving as the principal at Vail’s Desert Sky Middle School from 2001-2008 and Rincon Vista Middle School from 2008-2010. While simultaneously opening Rincon Vista, he helped to launch the Beyond Textbooks Program for the Vail School District. Before entering into administration, Kevin taught for four years at Vail’s Desert Willow Elementary and for three years at Roadrunner Elementary in the Marana Unified School District. As part of his professional preparation, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Some of Kevin’s noteworthy professional achievements include being the principal of an Excelling school for five years, garnering the 2012 EdTech Digest Visionary Award, receiving the 2010 Arizona Administrator of the Year Award from the Arizona Technology in Education Alliance, being named the Distinguished Administrator of the Year in 2007 by Arizona School Administrators, and being tabbed as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Business and Community leaders in the city of Tucson in 2006.
	Kathleen Arvizu – Administrative Assistant Email: arvizuk@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3968
	Kathleen Arvizu was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, and graduated from New Mexico State University in 1988. A few years after working and attaining customer service skills in the retail industry, she worked in a medical laboratory where she helped to maintain and update the computer system and sustain various instrument interfaces. In 1996, Kathleen took a position with a company that provided on-line gaming for the lottery. She maintained quality assurance for new games, updated and maintained the software, and traveled to other sites to assist with software issues. After being promoted to Control Room Manager, Kathleen managed eleven employees and was the liaison between the lottery and the company for which she worked. She then moved to Tucson with her family. After being a stay-at-home mom and working part-time at the library, she became the Volunteer Coordinator at Desert Sky Middle School in Vail. Realizing how much she enjoyed working in education, she soon took on the additional role of Student Data Coordinator. In this role, she enjoyed working closely with the Student Achievement Teacher preparing for, collecting, and evaluating data attained from student testing . Kathleen then became the Student Data Coordinator and Workroom Paraprofessional at Rincon Vista Middle School when it first opened in 2009. She served on the Rincon Vista Middle School Site Council and in February of 2010 was named Rincon Vista’s Vail Pride Day Support Staff of the Year. Kathleen is grateful to be part of the Beyond Textbooks team as it combines her past love for technology and her new passion of helping teachers succeed in educating our children.
	Justin Chesebrough – Director of Beyond Textbooks Email: chesebroughj@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3964
	Justin Chesebrough is in his 13th year as an educator. As an administrator, he opened Ocotillo Ridge Elementary in 2006 and served in that capacity for five years. Prior to becoming an administrator, Justin was a classroom teacher in the Vail School District. He taught 5th grade at Mesquite Elementary for three years and 3rd and 5th grades at Desert Willow Elementary for four years. Justin recently left education and was working as an executive for Target.com in Tucson. His love for education and working with students, teachers and administrators brought him back to the education field. Justin received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University in 1998 and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2002. Justin is proud of serving as the principal of an Excelling school for five years, being selected as one of the “40 under 40” emerging leaders in the Tucson community in 2009, serving as the Arizona School Administrators (ASA) Pima County representative from 2009-2011 and serving as the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Arizona State representative from 2010-2011. Justin is married to Elizabeth, a PE teacher in the Vail School District and has two daughters, ages three and five.
	Megan Kapp – Assistant Director of Beyond Textbooks Email: kappm@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3962
	Megan Kapp is in her 8th year in the Vail School District, and 9th year in education. She was raised in Prescott, Arizona by a family of educators who taught her the value and rewards of the education profession. She began her teaching career in Prescott, teaching middle school, and then came to Vail where she taught third grade for five years at Sycamore Elementary. During that time, Megan received her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership with Principal certification from Northern Arizona University. She then became the Student Achievement Teacher at Sycamore, where she led and coached teachers on how to analyze curriculum and make data-driven decisions to help ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn successfully.Megan has been acknowledged for her contributions to education on many occasions. In 2008, she was named Teacher of the Year at Vail’s Sycamore Elementary School, and in 2004 she was the recipient of the Yavapai County Outstanding First Year Teacher Award. It is also noteworthy that Megan was a teacher in an Excelling school for seven years as recognized by the Arizona Department of Education.In October 2010, Megan joined the Beyond Textbooks team, and is now the Assistant Director for Beyond Textbooks, where she greatly enjoys interacting with other educators who share the same passion for helping students succeed and be prepared for their futures.
	Andrew Chlup – Director of Technology Email: chlupa@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3960
	Andrew Chlup is a life-long advocate for technology in education. He has been an advocate and trainer of teachers who use technology in the classroom. He began his career as an upper elementary teacher, but soon realized that his goal was to teach educators how to engage their students through the purposeful integration of technology. Andrew has made it his goal to utilize a combination of existing equipment and open-source software applications to revolutionize the way teachers and students work and learn. He has authored and implemented several programs, ranging from an online homework system to school district wide blogs. Beyond Textbooks represents a culmination of these efforts.Andrew is an Arizona certified teacher and has his Master’s in Educational Technology from Northern Arizona University. He is also a member of the Arizona Technology in Education Association (AzTEA) and the International Society for Technology in Eduation (ISTE).In 2010, Andrew was recognized as the Arizona Technology Director of the Year by the Arizona Technology in Education Alliance and was also named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Business and Community leaders in the city of Tucson.
	Brittany Bourgeois – Beyond Textbooks Coordinator Email: bourgeoisb@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3965
	Brittany Bourgeois is in her fourth year with the Vail School District. Before joining the Beyond Textbooks team, she was an English teacher at Cienega High School, which is an A+ school. Brittany has been living her passion for teaching leadership, communication, and collaboration through being the co-sponsor of Cienega’s National Honor Society. When she began her co-sponsorship in 2009, there were only thirty-five members, but after two years of increased community service and visibility, there are now more than 110 members. One of her many other interests is curriculum. Brittany has worked with Vail’s Curriculum Department on learning more about and developing new benchmarks for freshman and sophomore English. Brittany received her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Arizona State University in 2008. Brittany is a new addition to the Beyond Textbooks team where she is thrilled to be a part of assisting other educators facilitate their passion for education, curriculum, and collaboration.
	Suzanne Logsdon – Beyond Textbooks Coordinator Email: logsdons@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3966
	Suzanne Logsdon grew up in Prescott, Arizona, and having a passion for education and young people, pursued a second career in education. In 1997, she received a double Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education K-12 and Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. She began her career at Camp Verde Middle School in Camp Verde, Arizona, and taught 6th grade self-contained and 6th and 7th grade language arts and social studies for the next three and a half years. In 2000, Suzanne met her husband and moved to Tucson, Arizona. She joined Desert Sky Middle Sky as a 7th and 8th grade language arts teacher, until she became a Student Achievement Teacher in 2003. Having developed a passion for curriculum, in 2005 she completed her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. She continued as an SAT at Rincon Vista Middle School when it opened in 2009. Having spent eight years as a Student Achievement Teacher, Suzanne was able to work closely with teachers to help guide students’ success, mentor and coach teachers, develop and present multiple professional development workshops, organize and hold data teams, and gain a strong insight into student achievement using calendaring and assessment to guide instruction. In the summer of 2012, Suzanne joined the Beyond Textbooks staff as a coordinator and is looking forward to working with other educators to help students.
	Jennifer Strosin – Beyond Textbooks Coordinator Email: strosinj@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3967
	Jennifer Strosin is entering her seventh year in the Vail School District. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with Distinction in Technical Theatre from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. After several years of working with various regional and touring theatre companies across the country, Jennifer settled in Tucson to work for the Arizona Theatre Company. During this time, she also began working on her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education with Northern Arizona University. Over her years as a second grade, fourth grade, and Student Achievement Teacher at Ocotillo Ridge Elementary, Jennifer continued to be drawn to curriculum, effective teaching practices, and the “backstage” aspects of education. She is especially proud of being a three time Teacher of the Year nominee at an Excelling school. Joining the Beyond Textbooks team is an exciting opportunity to engage and collaborate with teachers on one common goal, academic success for all students.
	Chelsea Yager – Beyond Textbooks Coordinator Email: yagerc@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3963
	Chelsea Yager is in her 11th year in education and her 5th year in Vail. Chelsea was raised in Tucson, Arizona, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Arizona. She began her career in California, where she was a Middle School Language Arts teacher for six years while earning her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Here, Chelsea served on numerous curriculum based committees and helped establish common formative and benchmark assessments for the district. Upon returning to Arizona, Chelsea taught at both Desert Sky and Rincon Vista Middle Schools, while continuing to grow in the areas of developing and implementing curriculum. She then served as the Student Achievement Teacher for Vail Academy and High School, a K-12 charter school within the Vail School District. She joined the Beyond Textbooks team in July of 2011, and deeply enjoys working with both teachers and administrators toward the common goal of increased student achievement.
	Eileen Short – Beyond Textbooks Facilitator Email: shorte@vail.k12.az.us
	Eileen Short was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Arizona, she joined the Vail School District in 2001 teaching math at Desert Sky Middle School until 2008. After the birth of her daughter, she continued her work at Desert Sky, working part-time as a Student Achievement Teacher. In addition to being a teacher in a six time Excelling School, Eileen was also chosen as the Teacher of the Year at Desert Sky Middle School in 2004. As part of her ongoing commitment to lifelong learning, Eileen completed her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2006, attends and presents at various math education conferences, and has worked closely with the University of Arizona’s Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers.In January of 2009, Eileen joined the Beyond Textbooks team where she currently serves as the Beyond Textbooks Facilitator.
	Mark Breen – Beyond Textbooks Technician Email: breenm@vail.k12.az.us Phone: 520-879-3977
	Mark Breen taught middle and high school band and technology classes for seven years in Vail and other parts of Arizona. He started in Vail at Rincon Vista Middle School in 2009 as a specialist teacher then eventually moved into a technology coordinator position for the campus. Mark currently works in the IT realm as the Business Services Coordinator aiding in various technology projects centered around the Business Office and Human Resources as well as District-wide tech initiatives. Raised in Phoenix, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Arizona State University and his Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Northern Illinois University. He is also a member of the Arizona Technology in Education Association (AzTEA) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Mark provides technical support for Beyond Textbooks and it’s Partners by assisting in managing and maintaining related servers and database systems.